1944 Ford GPW

Armed and battle ready, this WWII time capsule was priced right

Feature Article from Hemmings Motor News

Yup, that's a WWII-era Army jeep all right soldier, but not of the Willys variety. It's a Ford.

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This one spotted in Hershey's expansive car corral last year was a 1944-vintage GPW, VIN number 225722 to be exact, and it had 44,187 on the odometer. Updates included a new oil line, a rebuilt carburetor, a new wiring harness a recent top replacement, good tires, an extra hood and, of course, an M-1 Garand semi-automatic service rifle sheathed into the dash.
The owner was open to offers but was starting at $15,500--which in our way of thinking was a realistic price for a war machine this complete and battle ready.
It's a fairly famous piece of American history that Willys-Overland beat out rivals American Bantam and Ford for the rights to supply the military with a certain equally famous quarter-ton utility machine we now know as the Jeep or jeep. (Jeep with a capital J is actually a Chrysler trademark and typically applied to civilian machines. To keep things straight, enthusiasts will often refer to military versions as jeeps with a lowercase j.)
To seal the deal, Willys-Overland outgunned its rivals with the 60hp Go-Devil inline four-cylinder engine. By comparison, Ford offered an anemic, 45hp Fordson tractor engine coupled to a non-synchronized Model A transmission. As a consolation prize, Ford is usually credited with having designed the Jeep's immediately recognizable stamped grille with its inboard, protected headlamps.
Even though its design was rejected, Ford was called upon to build these quarter-ton trucks for the Allied effort because of its vast manufacturing capability. All told, the company cranked out 281,000 Ford GPWs (for General Purpose Willys) while Willys built 362,000-plus nearly identical Willys MA Jeeps. These vehicles are all nearly identical and most parts do interchange--though some will swear that the Fords are better constructed.
Authentic Army GPWs of this vintage should have a 40-volt generator, 15-gallon fuel tank, blackout headlamps, an ax and shovel mounted on the side and a parking brake handle in the center of the dash. This nice example seemed to have all of the above.
1944 Ford GPW
Asking price: $15,500... offers?
Known issues: Rifle mounted on dash could be a problem for those prone to road rage
Seller description: Runs and drives excellent, zero rust anywhere, everything works
Why buy? Military jeeps steal the show at cruise ins and gatherings. They aren't great for long drives in the country, but for short hunting trips into the bush, they rule.
Original list price: N/A
Value today: Low - $5,500; Average - $10,000; High - $15,000

This article originally appeared in the March, 2009 issue of Hemmings Motor News.